Rouge Rundown – June 4, 2025: Celebrate | Volunteer | Paddle | Love & More!

Do you hear that? Your River is calling. Enjoy the water in this season of renewal, your with Friends. Connect with your River. Enjoy the peace of nature. Join these upcoming paddle trip adventures! 

June 7: Canton River Days

June 21:  National Canoe Day

Paddlers have the option to rent a canoe or kayak or bring their own boat. Please note, fees are due in advance for all attendees. 

Hey Friend – you are warmly invited for a fun-filled free volunteer and member appreciation event, awards ceremony, and general meeting. Come bask in the glow of people (like you!) who love your Rouge River.

When: Wednesday, June 18, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Where: the beautiful Inkster Park Picnic Shelter in Inkster, MI 48141

What: 6:00 pm – light picnic dinner and interactive River tents with FOTR staff

6:30 pm – awards and appreciation-fest

Come as you are! This family-friendly event honors YOUR amazing impact for a better hometown Rouge River. This event is free – kindly register so that we may grill enough for all.

New to all things gardening? Come out for Kinder-Garden! You’ll go on a weed hunt, discover native flowers, and learn about pollinators! Get some great gardening tips, see proper weeding technique, and learn about the wonderful ecosystems we can create by planting natives! 

When: June 21 from 10 am – 1 pm
Where: Plymouth Arts & Recreation Complex, 650 Church St, Plymouth, MI 48170

All ages and gardening experience are welcome!  It will be a wonderful way to start your weekend!

Last summer, long-time volunteer Jill Slater and her granddaughters Felicity, Genevieve and Eloise gave a presentation to FOTR staff on their project to monitor river water quality at three sites in Northville. It is almost a year later and you’ll be delighted to hear that the four of them are still at it!  

This spring they noticed that the river at the site downstream from Northville Downs was full of sediment. They reported this to FOTR staff, who alerted Sue Thompson at Wayne County. Sue confirmed these young scientists’ findings and sent an inspector to check up on construction sites in the area.  

Sediment in the river is a huge problem for fish and bugs as it clogs their gills so they cannot breathe. Construction sites are required to place silt fences and other measures to keep soil from washing into the river when it rains. A big thank you to these girls for keeping tabs on your river to make sure it stays clean enough for the fish.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has updated the Eat Safe Fish Guide for 2025. Fish can be a healthy food choice but fish from some waterbodies accumulate high levels of toxic chemicals. MDHHS regularly tests local fish and assesses studies on the effects of chemicals to determine what levels are safe for consumption and provides them in a public guide. 

The 2025 guidelines list more areas affected by chemicals known as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) as they have turned out to be a greater threat to human health than originally thought. As a result, several new waterbodies in the Rouge River watershed are listed. This includes Johnson Creek, Carpenter Lake, Long Lake and the Middle Branch. This is in addition to the “Do Not Eat” advisory for bluegill and sunfish caught in the Lower and Main Branch of the Rouge River in 2022. Despite these restrictions, many local fish can still be safely consumed, especially yellow perch. Check out the guide to learn which fish are safe to consume.

Do you know what makes the Rouge River even better? YOU!!

Thank you for your care, Friendship, and Rouge River love. A warm thank you to these newest Members!

Frances Ahern, Monica Chrzaszcz, Rebecca Conway, Cheryl & Kayleigh Crabb, Dare Family
Matthew Desantis, Lauren Duerr, Kathy Estes, 
Kathleen Garrett, Shawn Grose, Heather Ivey, Deborah Julow, Dawn King, Paul Kinnell, Kathleen Kobe, Kathleen McCreedy, Kim Mobley, Michael Moore, Cris Moran, Margaret Morgan, Divinia Moro, Gabriela Mueller, Sylvia Outlaw, Veronica Petroelje, Lindsay Pielack, Jane Ramel, Katie Reeves, Pamela Rice, Barbara Rose, Schubatis Family, Christina Shell, Emily Soto, Jean Stevenson, Reann Sweeney, Page Temkin, Michael Tormoen, Jim Webber, Dana Woolcock, and other anonymous Friends (8)

Friends of the Rouge welcomes Nicole Wilson back to the team as Development Coordinator. Nicole has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit work. She started her career at the Henry Ford and worked her way up from part-time presenter to Operations Supervisor of the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. After 11 years, Nicole moved to the DC area where she worked as the Operations Manager of the Oceans Domestic Program at the Environmental Defense Fund and then ran the James Smithson Society and Smithsonian Giving Circles for the Smithsonian. Nicole worked briefly for Friends of the Rouge as Development Coordinator in 2023. The team is thrilled to welcome her back as your newest Friend on staff!